Available Open Access digitally under CC-BY-NC-ND licence. The proportion of employees with caring responsibilities is growing and, as a result, policies that support working carers are becoming increasingly important. Written and informed by national experts, this is the first publication to provide a detailed examination of the development and implementation of carer leave policies and policies in nine countries across Asia, Oceania, Europe and North America. It compares the origins, content and implications of national policies and practices intended to enable workers to provide care to family members and friends while remaining in paid employment – known as ‘carer leave’.